Coal winning apparatus with independently traveling winning machines



Dec. 5, 1967 w. HEYER ET AL COAL WINNING APPARATUS WITH INDEPENDENTLY TRAVELING WINNING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1965 Fig. 1

.Fig. 2

INVENTORS. lrs a fi" Ri /(5E ATTORNE vs Dec. 5, 1967 w, HEYER ET AL 3,356,417

COAL WINNING APPARATUS WITH INDEI'ENDENTLY TRAVELING WINNING MACHINES Filed Sept. 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

INVE N TORS: W/L/IHM HE YE P 8 WE PNE R RA FA EL BY Z 7 ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent 3,356,417 COAL WINNING APPARATUS WITH INDE- PENDENTLY TRAVELING WINNING MA- CHINES Wilhelm Heyer, Bochum, Gerthe, and Werner Rafael, Wethmar, near Lunen, Westphalia, Germany, assignors to Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia, Wethmar, near Lunen, Westphalia, Germany, a corporation Filed Sept. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 488,212 Claims priority, applicatio111Ge9rmany, Sept. 22, 1964,

9 Claims. cl. 299-34 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates in general to mineral winning apparatus, and more particularly to a coal winning apparatus suitable for use in long wall mining operations, and having two independently traveling winning machines.

With the apparatus according to the invention, the extraction of the bottom coal along a mine face is performed by a winning machine of the coal planer type which is carried on the side of a conveyor lying before the coal face. For the winning of coal from the upper and middle portions of the seam, a rotary cutting winning machine is furthermore provided by the invention, this rotary winning machine being disposed to span the conveyor and to be supported thereupon. The conveyor is a part of an elongated guide means which is adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face, with a lateral member of the conveyor being disposed to define a longitudinally extending guide surface. Both the coal planer and the rotary winning machine are disposed for independent longitudinal movement back and forth along the conveyor guide means and for extractive engagement with the mine face to remove mineral therefrom.

The invention is directed at providing a guide and support arrangement for the two winning machines which will permit them to pass each other without interference during the course of their respective back and forth movements along the guide means. This feature is essential in that it permits simultaneous planing and rotary cutting mineral extraction operations.

To guide the longitudinal movement of the planer along apredetermined path corresponding to the guide surface, a guide member such as for example, a guide lug is operatively connected to the planet and disposed in operative engagement with the guide surface. This guide lug overreaches the lateral member of the conveyor on the coal face side, the upper flange of which defines the guide surface, and said guide lug is adapted to slide along said guide surface in contact therewith in order to prevent separation of the planer from the convey-or trough.

The rotary winning machine is supported at the waste side of the conveyor by means of a guide rail connected thereto, and is supported at the coal face side of the conveyor by a displaceable support means. This displaceable support means is operatively connected to the rotary mineral winning machine and disposed for operative en- 3,356,417 Patented Dec. 5, 1967 "ice gagement with the guide surface to support the rotary winning machine in a predetermined elevated relation relative thereto, and preferably level. Because the guidance of the planer is accomplished by a lug member which overlaps the same guide surface used for supporting the rotary winning machine on the coal face side of the conveyor, the displaceable support means and the guide lug are arranged for limited yielding relative dis placement upon contact with each other to permit the planer and rotary winning machine to pass each other without interference during their respective back and forth movements along the mine face.

According to the invention, the displaceable support means used in conjunction with the rotary winning machine can be constructed as anendless track or chain which carries a plurality of transverse shoe members, and which revolves in the manner of a" crawler track. The displacement of the shoes onthe track is then brought about in the simple manner by the guiding lug connected to the coal planer which is carried laterally on the conveyor.

By providing a sufiicient number of shoes connected at appropriate intervals along the periphery of the track, there will be at least one shoe in contact with the guide surface at all times for supporting the rotary winning machine. The use of a crawler type track which can execute circulatory movement relative to the rotary winning machine ofiers the advantage that the guide lug can slide between the track and guide surface to engage a shoe, pushing it along as therplaner moves until the guide lug emerges from underneath the track. As the one shoe engaged by the guide lug'is'shifted along the guide surface together withthe lug, the track will be caused to execute a corresponding circulatory displacement, thereby bringing successive shoes into engagement with the guide surface. In this manner of accommodating the passage of the planer guide lug under and through the rotary winning machine support means, the number of shoes in contact with the guide surface will remain substantially unchanged as the track is circulated by the action of the passing guide lug. Also, such a track can be driven byany suitable motive means to effect the longitudinal movement of the rotary winning machine independently of such motive means as are provided for the planer.

Alternatively, the rotary winning machine can be supported upon the guide surface by a plurality of wheels disposed in a longitudinally extending train. With such an arrangement, each wheel is operatively connected to the rotary winning machine by a resiliently displaceable suspension means, and each wheel is normally'biase'd for contact with the guide surface to support the rotarywinnin'g machine. As the guide lug slides alongthe guide surface, the individual wheels will'be temporarily lifted up therefrom to accommodate the passage of said guide lug and planer past the rotary winning machine. This arrangement offers the advantage that there is substantially a constant rotary winning machine supporting force as.

the guide lug passes through the wheel train, since all of the wheels will be providing support, whether by direct contact with the guide surface,- or by contact-with the upper portion of the guide line.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a mineral winning apparatus for the extraction of mineral from long wall mine seams which has two independently traveling mineral winning machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mineral winning apparatus as aforesaid wherein a coal planer type of winning machine is provided for extraction of mineral from the bottom portion of the mine seam and a rotary Winning machine is provided for extraction of mineral from the middle and upper portions of the mine seam. A further object of the invention is to provide a mineral winning apparatus as aforesaid wherein the rotary winning machine and planer are guided along a common surface without interference with each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mineral winning apparatus as aforesaid wherein the same means used for supporting the rotary winning machine upon the common guide surface can be also used for effecting the longitudinal movement of the rotary winning machine.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation view, looking out from the mine face, of a mineral winning apparatus constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1a is a schematic side elevation view of a further embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view, partly in section, of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a mineral winning apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 taken along line I-I therein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a mineral winning apparatus of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, in front of the coal face F there lies an over-and-under scraper chain conveyor having two lateral members 11 and 12.

One the side facing the coal face F there is carried on the conveyor 10 a coal planer 13, which has a keel 14 extending beneath said conveyor 10. On the free end of the keel plate 14 there are disposed driving blocks 15 which are carried slidably in a passage 16. The pulling section of the planer 13 drive chain (not shown) also runs in the same passage 16. The return section 17 of the planer drive chain also lies in a similarly shielded passageway extending along the waste side of the conveyor 10 and above the passage 16. To increase the carrying capacity of the conveyor 10, there is disposed on the waste side thereof a removable bracket 18 having an upper edge designed as a guiding rail 19.

As a second winning machine for cutting the middle and upper portions of the mine seam along the face F thereof, there is provided a rotary cutting winning machine 21 which is equipped with a rotary cutter 20 and which spans the conveyor 10. The rotary winning machine 21 is supported on the waste side of the conveyor 10 by means of the guiding rail 19 on top of the bracket 18. On the opposite side, i.e., the coal face side of the conveyor 10, the rotary winning machine 21 is supported on a crawler track 22 which is carried about the two pulley wheels 23 and 24, with the bottom portion of said crawler track 22 lying against the idler wheels 25. The crawler track 22 is provided with a plurality of afiixed shoe members 26 disposed preferably at uniform intervals along the periphery of said track 22 and by means of which the rotary winning machine 21 is supported on the lateral member 12 of the conveyor 10 which defines a longitudinally extending guide surface S.

The coal planer 13, which as previously mentioned, is guided in its longitudinal movement along the conveyor 10 by the keel 14 and blocks 15, is also provided with a guide lug member 27 which, for additional guidance purposes, overreaches the lateral member 12 of the conveyor 10. The result is that the path of movement of the guide lug 27 on the upper side of the lateral member 12 defining the guide surface S coincides with the path on which the supporting shoes 26 of the rotary winning machine 21 are located. No collision occurs, however, because when the planer 13 passes through, its guiding lug 27 reaches between two supporting shoes 26 carrying the rotary winning machine 21. As the planer 13 continues to advance, as for example in the direction of the arrow 28, the lug 27 then collides with one of the shoes 26. The result is that this shoe 26 and hence the track 22 are driven by the lug 27- until the shoe 26 finally emerges free at the opposite end of the crawler track 22 in the area of return pulley 23. The crawler track 22 then comes to rest again. It is important that, in the movement of the crawler track 22, all the shoes 26 which are entirely in the supporting position are advanced around the return pulley 23 or the pulley 24 whichever lies forward in the direction of movement of the planer 13, and thus are eliminated as supports for the rotary winning machine 21. Simultaneously, however, since the crawler track 22 has supporting shoes 26 disposed at uniform intervals over its entire length, a series of additional supporting shoes 26 are brought into positions of supporting engagement with the guide surface S, and take over the function of supporting the rotary winning machine upon the guide surface S.

The rotary winning machine 21 which can be driven back and forth along the conveyor 10 by any suitable conventional motive means (not shown), can be expediently driven by the crawler track 22 simply by connecting it, preferably through a clutch (not shown) or other selectively disengageable transmission means (not shown) for rotation by a motive means (not shown), so as to cause the shoe members 26 to tread along the guide surface S, rather than to slide therealong as when pushed by the guide lug 27 when the planer 13 crosses the portion of the lateral member 12 corresponding to the zone of contact between the support track 22 shoes 26.

The track 22 and support shoe 26 arrangement is capable of functioning equally well regardless of respective directions of movement and speeds of the coal planer 13 and rotary winning machine 21.

In general, the planer 13 will move at a higher speed than the rotary winning machine 21, so that said rotary winning machine 21 will normally be overtaken and passed several times by the planer 13 during each complete rotary cutting traverse.

As can be appreciated by the artisan, the invention is by no means limited to the supporting of the rotary winning machine 21 by means of a shoe 26 carrying crawler track 22. For example, as shown in FIG. 1a, the required type of guide lug 27 pass-through support can be achieved by means of a train of independently displaceable wheels 23, 24 and 25. Each of such wheels are arranged to normally contact the guide surface S for supporting the rotary winning machine 21 in a predetermined relation thereto, and to be shifted upwardly against the effect of a spring 30 (shown in phantom lines) as the guide lug 27 passes under the individual wheels in succession. With such an arrangement, the springs 30 used for maintaining the wheels in their normal positions of contact with the guide surface S would be constructed to provide a substantially uniform distribution of the load from the rotary winning machine 21 over all of the wheels. This uniform load distribution will be relatively unchanged by the passage of the planer 13, because as the guide lug 27 comes into the range of the wheels, the individual wheels will be lifted successively by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the lug 27 as the planer 13 advances, and then would drop down into contact with the guide surface S immediately behind the guide lug 27.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 represents an arrangement wherein the guide lug 27 is disposed for limited pivotal movement about a pin 29 against the influence of a return spring 30', so that whenever the planer 13' comes into a position in its travel where the lug 27' contacts the support means for the rotary winning machine 21, the lug 27' is pivotally displaced in a manner somewhat similar to that of a ratchet, and is returned by the spring 30 after passing such support means.

7 However, such temporary relative yielding displacement between the guide. lug and the rotary winning machine support means can be provided in other forms. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, instead of a pivotal spring biased guide lug 27 movement, a lug 27" can be mounted for resiliently biased sliding displacement in a transverse direction with respect to its longitudinal direction of movement, and provided with a slanting surface which when the rotary winning machine 21 support is encountered will result in the guide lug27" being pushed temporarily backward into a recess in planer 13" and being restored to its normal overreaching position in contact with the guide surface S by spring 30" when such support means has been passed.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing, the mineral winning apparatus of the instant invention utilizes an elongated guide means adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face F, and two mineral winning means, the planer 13 and the rotary winning machine 21, both disposed for longitudinal movement back and forth along the guide means and for extractive engagement with mine face F to remove mineral therefrom.

In detail, such guide means includes the conveyor II), the guide surface S defined by the lateral member 12 of said conveyor 10, the guide rail 19, and passage 16 which cooperate to constrain the movement of both the planer 13 and rotary winning machine 21 to substantially mutually parallel paths in front of the mine face F and extending longitudinally therealong.

The planer 13 is provided with a guide member in the form of the lug 27 which is operatively connected to said planer 13, either rigidly, pivotally or slidably, as previously described, and disposed in operative engagement with the guide surface S to guide the movement of the planer 13.

The rotary winning machine 21 is provided with a displaceable support means, such as for example, the crawler track 22 and its attached shoe members 26, or the train of wheels (not shown), which is also disposed in operative engagement with the guide surface S to support said winning machine 21in a predetermined, preferably level relation thereto.

By providing such a displaceable support means, the planer 13 and rotary winning machine 21 are enabled to pass each other without interference, as would otherwise occur if both the guide lug 27 and the rotary winning machine 21 support means were rigid and disposed in contact with a common guide surface S.

In the case of the crawler track 22 and shoe members 26, the displacement effected by the passage of the guide lug 27 is a circulatory shifting of the track 22 and shoe members 26 in a direction which is parallel to the guide surface S along the portion of the track 22 thereadjoining, whereas with the wheel train (not shown) type of support means, the displacement effected by the guide lug 27 passage is a transverse lifting type displacement in a direction approximately perpendicular to the guide surface S.

What is claimed is:

1. A mineral winning apparatus which comprises an elongated guide means adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face, said guide means having a longitudinally extending guide surface, a first mineral winning means disposed for longitudinal movement back and forth along said guide means and for extractive engagement with the mine face to remove mineral therefrom, a guide member operatively connected with said first mineral winning means and disposed in operative engagement with said guide surface to guide the movement of said first mineral winning means along a predetermined path corresponding thereto, a second mineral winning means also disposed for longitudinal movement back and forth along said guide means and for extractive engagement with the mine face to remove mineral therefrom, and displaceable support means operatively connected to said second mineral winning means and disposed in operative engagement with said guide surface to support said second mineral winning means in a predetermined relation thereto, said support means and said guide member being disposed for limited yielding relative displacement to permit said first and second mineral winning means to pass each other without interference in their respective movements back and forth along said guide means.

2. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said displaceable support means includes an endless track operatively connected to said second mineral Winning means for circulatory movement relative thereto, and a plurality of shoe members operatively connected to said track at predetermined positions on the periphery thereof, said shoe members being disposed for operative engagement with said guide surface to support said second mineral winning means in a predetermined elevatedposition relative thereto, said shoe members being disposed for operative engagement by said guide member to effect circulatory displacement of said track whereby said guide member can pass between said track and said guide surface and in guided contact therewith to permit said first and second mineral winning means to pass each other without interference.

3. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said displaceable support means includes a plurality of wheel members each operatively connected to said second mineral winning means by a resiliently displaceable suspension means, and each disposed for operative engagement with said guide surface to support said second mineral winning means in a predetermined elevated position relative thereto, said wheel members being disposed for operative engagement by said guide member for resilient displacement thereby to permit said guide member to pass between said guide surface and said wheel members and in guided contact with said guide surface whereby said first and second mineral winning means can pass each other without interference.

4. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said guide member is disposed for limited pivotal movement relative to said first mineral winning means upon contact with said support means to permit said first and second mineral Winning means to pass each other without interference.

5. A mineral winning apparatus which comprises an elongated guide means adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face, said guide means including an elongated conveyor means having a lateral member defining a longitudinally extending guide surface, a mineral planer disposed for longitudinal movement back and forth along said guide means and for extractive engagement with the mine face to remove mineral therefrom, a guide member operatively connected to said mineral planer and disposed in operative engagement with said guide surface to guide the movement of said mineral planer along a predetermined path corresponding thereto, a rotary mineral winning means disposed for longitudinal movement back and forth along said guide means and above said conveyor means, said rotary mineral winning means being disposed for extractive engagement with the mine face to remove mineral therefrom, and displaceable support means operatively connected to said rotary mineral winning means and disposed for operative engagement with said guide surface to support said rotary mineral winning means in a predetermined relation thereto, said support means and said guide member being disposed for limited yielding relative displacement upon contact with each other to permit said mineral planer and rotary mineral winning means to pass each other without interference in their respective movements back and forth along said guide means.

6. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said displaceable support means includes an endless track operatively connected to said rotary mineral winning means for circulatory movement relative thereto, and a plurality of shoe members operatively connected to said track at predetermined positions on the periphery thereof, said shoe members being disposed for operative engagement with the guide surface on said conveyor means to support said rotary mineral winning means in a predetermined elevated position relative thereto, said shoe members being disposed for operative engagement by said guide member whenever said mineral planer and rotary mineral winning means pass each other whereby said guide member pushes against a shoe member to effect a circulatory shifting movement of the track to position successive shoe members in supporting contact with the guide surface and to permit said mineral planer and rotary mineral winning means to pass each other without interference.

7. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said displaceable support means includes a plurality of wheel members disposed in a longitudinally extending train, each wheel member being operatively connected to said rotary mineral winning means by a resiliently displaceable suspension means, each of said wheel members being normally disposed for contact with said guide surface to support said rotary mineral winning means in a predetermined relation thereto, said wheel members being disposed for engagement by said guide member to be temporarily lifted in succession thereby to accommodate the passage of said guide member alOng the guide surface and thereby permit said mineral planer and rotary mineral winning means to pass each other without interference.

8. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 5 including means operatively connected to said conveyor means to define an additional longitudinally extending guide surface, disposed in parallel relation to said guide surface defined by the lateral member of said conveyor means, and wherein said rotary mineral winning means is disposed in operative engagement with said additional guide surface for guided longitudinal movement therealong.

9. The mineral winning apparatus according to claim 6 including motive means disposed for operative connection to said track for driving same to effect back and forth longitudinal movement of said rotary mineral winning means along said guide means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,285,662 11/1966 Lobbe 299-34 FOREIGN PATENTS 803,109 2/1951 Germany.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MINERAL WINNING APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES AN ELONGATED GUIDE MEANS ADAPTED TO EXTEND LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE MINE FACE, SAID GUIDE MEANS HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GUIDE SURFACE, A FIRST MINERAL WINING MEANS DISPOSED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS FOR EXTRACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MINE FACE TO REMOVE MINERAL THEREFROM, A GUIDE MEMBER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID FIRST MINERAL WINNING MEANS AND DISPOSED IN OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE SURFACE TO GUIDE THE MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST MINERAL WINNING MEANS ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH CORRESPONDING THERETO, A SECOND MINERAL WINNING MEANS ALSO DISPOSED FOR LONGUTUDINAL MOVEMENT BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS AND FOR EXTRACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MINE FACE TO REMOVE MINERAL THEREFROM, AND DISPLACEABLE SUPPORT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND MINERAL WINNING MEANS AND DISPOSED IN OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE SURFACE TO SUPPORT SAID SECOND MINERAL WINNING MEANS IN A PREDETERMINED RELATION THERETO, SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND SAID GUIDE MEMBER BEING DISPOSED FOR LIMITED YIELDING RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT TO PERMIT SAID FIRST AND SECONUD MINERAL WINNING MEANS TO PASSEACH OTHER WITHOUT INTERFERENCE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE MOVEMENTS BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS. 